Need a longer range ev

[DougC]

I'm leaning Bolt. May end up going Volt unless I can get a decent deal on a Bolt.

I just bought a neat little cedar challet that will be my retirement place. That's why the need for 100 mile range. Once I recover financially from the closing I will make a decision on the car. Maybe end of year if they do the typical sales on new cars. This area has so many GM employees and family who get discounts that the dealers have deals that almost offset the depreciation hit you take off the lot on a new car.



I just saw a 2017 Volt premier lease I could take over for $231 a month 1000 miles a month. Might look into that to see how I like the Volt. That would take me out another 2years where I might be able to get a used Bolt. The miles are low but it might work for me.

What kind of range does the Bolt get at 80-85 mph? That's the typical highway speed here on Friday afternoon on my route to the cottage.

[DougC]

A local dealer has a 2013 Volt with 75k miles for $10,300. My co-worker has a relative that works there so I'm going to see if there is any friends of family discounts

I made the mistake of buying the MIEV without the remote FOB. Other than the car key fobs, is there any extra pieces I need to make sure come with the car?

Thoughts on the price?

[jray3]

Congrats Doug- I'm not aware of any accessories to the Volt other than the L1 EVSE. According to their owners forum, the Gen 1 volts use their regular key fob for remote start, but also have an OnStar app.

Are you going to have a garage for that car? If not, I'd lean towards a used one. Besides, Volt batteries should last a lot longer than any pure EV and the car will retain near full utility with a degraded battery, just at lower economy and possibly slower acceleration as the pack gets saggy.

[pbui19]

I would try to find out if there is any near future plan for DCFC installation along your route, as well as to consider your time frame. I don't know how near retirement you are, but your driving need would change.

We have an 2014 iMiev, '16 Volt, and a '17 Bolt; totally now over 100K electric miles. Joes introduced me to the iMiev back in 2013. We, except my wife, have been very happy with the Bolt for long distance trip. My wife does not want to be bothered to stop to charge, though she regularly does pit-stops. So she prefers the Volt on those trips. But the Bolt is working for the rest of us on those long trips because of the DCFC infrastructure in California; and more is coming in the next two months along hwy 5 between San Jose & LA.

I am in the market for an used 75D/85D, and almost pulled the trigger last week with a 85S, 56Kmiles, $35K. But I prefer an AWD.

It's a rather personal call, and there are some unknowns (driving needs, charging stations...). Personally, I would go with a Bolt with DCFC. Rumor has it that the 2019 Bolt has target-charge-termination.

Good luck,

[Don]

I really like the idea of driving pure EV's . . . . wherever and whenever practical. Our two iMiEV's have been the best things we've purchased in a long time. The wife loves hers and that's largely because in more than 6 years, she's never had the slightest bit of 'range anxiety' - I keep it charged (not fully, but to the point I want) and she gets in it and drives, wherever she wants and she's never had to worry about not making it home - She tells me where shes headed and asks if she has the juice to make the trip

When we wanted a longer range car, we thought (briefly) about a used Tesla like Joe's and a Bolt, but not everywhere do you find recharging networks like you have along the west coast - In fact, pretty much nowhere else do you find that level of support. Joe has driven his Tesla coast to coast several times and has published his 'recharging adventures' for all of us to read and while you do meet the nicest people when arranging to refuel your EV, those pauses are not for everyone and I know my wife would not take well to the adventure . . . . and to be truthful, many times it would not be my cup of tea either - Many times, you'd be forced to make allowances and it wouldn't always be convenient

So, after evaluating our travel needs, we bought the '17 Volt Premier and so far, it's been the best of both worlds for us. We drive electrically most of the time - up to around 70 miles sometimes - and we recharge when and where it's convenient . . . . and not when we're forced to. When it's not convenient, we get by with near 50 mpg until we can recharge without the hassle

Different horses for different courses - A lot depends on where you live and where you want to travel. One day, quick, hassle-free recharging will be available everywhere - Will it be affordable . . . . cheaper than gas at 50 mpg? Who knows and who knows when it will be. In the meantime, you pick what you can live with - What works for someone else may not be 'right' for you

Don

[jray3]

Long-timers here are familiar with my affectation for Pusher Trailers. The latest iteration is now running, and I hope to post some driving reports early in the new year.
http://karmanneclectric.blogspot.com/2018/12/even-rangy-ier.html
No, I'm not taking it on our annual 2500 mile Christmas road trip! HowEVer, driving an i-MiEV around that small town has really brought my dad out of his shell. He's hanging around the community center coffee shop for opportunity charging while in-between mom's various appointments. Making new friends and running into old ones...

[ChrisEV]

The i-MIEV has become our primary car, 99% of the driving we do is within its range and I use our van for those rare long trips.
My wife hates stopping to charge for a long time so I'm not sure if a long range EV is in our future based on what's on the market now. The upcoming Model Y seems to be the best fit, as Superchargers are more plentiful than Chademo/CCS chargers and faster too.
The Bolt is pretty nice but it seems slow to charge and that's even worse in winter where DC charging rate is cut in half.
And since we get charged based on time instead of kWh roadtrips here in Canada can be very expensive and slow.

[rmay635703]

The i-MIEV has become our primary car, 99% of the driving we do is within its range and I use our van for those rare long trips.
My wife hates stopping to charge for a long time so I'm not sure if a long range EV is in our future based on what's on the market now. The upcoming Model Y seems to be the best fit, as Superchargers are more plentiful than Chademo/CCS chargers and faster too.
The Bolt is pretty nice but it seems slow to charge and that's even worse in winter where DC charging rate is cut in half.
And since we get charged based on time instead of kWh roadtrips here in Canada can be very expensive and slow.

Your usage pattern sounds similar to mine

For a long time 99% of my daily driving was in a 1981 Comutacar and I always had a gas car like the original Honda Insight for road trips.

My recommendation is that if your concerned about operating cost and convenience you should consider a PHEV.

I typically only have one car for all my drives now that I have a Volt.

What kind of PHEV you get depends on what the distance of the majority of your daily driver activities will be couple with the percentage of long distance travel where charging is unlikely
You also need to be aware of heating needs which most PHEVs cover

A simple case of minimizing overall cost, if you have a lot of 2000-4000 mile trips like I do the Prius Prime or Original Honda Insight is best on cost, if you have fewer trips like that but many trips beyond 35 miles but less than about 80 miles the Volt is your friend

In my area the places I take vacation to do not have infrastructure meaning any BEV is going to have a lot of range anxiety, even normal 500 mile “day trips” up north in a Bev would require a lot of planning and likely an extra day on the trip due to the fact I would have to go out of my way and not be able to drive where I want.

[JoeS]

Even though I agree that for this use-case (lovely chalet, BTW) a Volt would certainly be suitable and a most cost-effective selection, I can't let this comment pass unchallenged -

...In my area the places I take vacation to do not have infrastructure meaning any BEV is going to have a lot of range anxiety, even normal 500 mile “day trips” up north in a Bev would require a lot of planning and likely an extra day on the trip due to the fact I would have to go out of my way and not be able to drive where I want.

Oooh, I'll bite. Whereabouts in the US or the southern end of most of Canada's provinces do we not have SuperChargers, DCFC/J1772, or NEMA 14-50 readily available?

Agree, would take a wee bit of planning.

As an aside, a couple of months ago a former co-worker took his Tesla S85 from here to Arkansas (to deliver some family heirlooms) and had no problem doing 750-mile days. I loaned him my spare tire for the trip and was gobsmacked when he returned so quickly (compared to my usual meanderings).

PS I also loved my Gen1 Insight.

[Don]

Joe,

I do recall on your first cross country trip in your Tesla you recounting many unorthodox charging adventures, and i know that made a big impression on me. If a Tesla driver with free access to the Supercharger network sometimes must resort to charging at a boatyard or a welding shop, what chance would a guy driving anything else have to find hassle free charging on a long trip?

True, you meet the nicest people when searching for charging opportunities, but thats not the sort of 'adventure' everyone would be comfortable with

Your adventures had a great deal to do with our decision to buy a Volt

Don